Thrilling yet practical, the Mazdaspeed 3 is the best kind of cheap date

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2008 Mazda Mazdaspeed3 – Comfort

Front Comfort
It took awhile to get the seat properly adjusted, but once we got situated the Mazdaspeed 3 was reasonably comfortable. Somehow, the seats manage to deliver support for long drives and hold the driver in during aggressive curves without feeling hard or restrictive. Nice trick, Mazda. Gripes include an upper door panel that’s hard plastic and uncomfortable, and an accelerator that’s too close for taller drivers resulting in fatigue during longer drives. The thick, leather-wrapped steering wheel is pleasing to hold, but not as stylish or meaty as what Volkswagen installs in a GTI.

Rear Comfort
It doesn’t look roomy, but the Mazdaspeed 3 can carry four adults in cross-town comfort. Family types with kids in rear-facing or regular child seats will have trouble with clearance space between the front seatbacks and the rear backrest, so wait to trade the minivan until Frick and Frack are a little older. For adults, leg room is snug with tall people in front but the back bench is supportive and foot space is decent. The rear center armrest contains two cupholders and the plastic surround is moved forward far enough that it doesn’t impede on comfort.

Interior Noise
Our Mazdaspeed 3 Grand Touring model came with a 222-watt Bose stereo that successfully eliminated the booming exhaust; the rat-a-tat-tat rifle shots coming from every expansion joint, pock mark, and Bott’s dot on the freeway; and the irritating wind noise around the pillars at speeds over 75 mph. In case you hadn’t inferred it from this description of the driving experience, the Mazdaspeed 3 is a loud car when it’s underway.

Visibility
Forward visibility is excellent thanks to thin pillars and a good view over the hood and down the road. The Mazdaspeed 3’s side mirrors are large rectangular reflectors that really help erase blind spots. Rear seat head restraints impede on visibility through the back window and the rearmost roof pillars are rather thick, but there’s a rear window wiper to clear rain and snow for a better view. Our test car’s adjustable Xenon lights did an incredible job of illuminating the road, but the high beams were dimmer halogens.